Do the stock tires have a rim guard? On my Qx4 I got some Falkens and the tire has a lip on the outer edge that goes out about an half an inch. Works great. I've rubbed up against curbs several times without problems. I'm waiting on an IS and wondering if I should just put a set of Falkens on it if the stock tires don't already provide this protection.

 

no they don't - better go with the Falkens - cause the stock tires have no protection.

 

Maybe we have different stock tires. It was one of the surprises as I prepared for the first touchless wash (living in Minnesota, the winter brings lots of salt spray during every snow fall). We have the IS250 AWD and all the tires have a rubber lip that protrudes enough to keeps the aluminum from touching any rails.

The tires are expensive, though. Experienced a flat after hitting a foreign object on the freeway. Tire pressure sensor came on right away, called Lexus and they took care of everything, including a free overnight Lexus loaner while they waited for the $253 tire to come in. Labor was free. The spare tire is brilliant orange to encourage you to get it fixed right away; you look like a fool driving until you do.

 

I curbed my wheel about a month after getting the car. Still haven't had it fixed. Thought about doing it myself after reading this on an Audiworld forum: http://www.audiworld.com/tech/ext43.shtml
I think that if it only cost around $100 to repair, I'd rather have a pro do it.

 

I rashed mine the first week I had it. I was dropping the fiancee off in front of the store so she didn't have to run in the rain. I pulled just a little too close to the curb and rashed it. I figured that I'm dumb enough to do it again, so I haven't bothered to fix it.

I did call Lexus to inquire if they sold the paint they used on the wheels, and of course they don't. I think if they sold the touch up paint I could lightly sand down the rashed area and use touch up paint to cover it up pretty well. But then they wouldn't be able to get another $100+ from me if they did that!

 

Please kindly post your regional specific question in the NorCal section and your question will be answered.

 

The economics are simple, and familiar to anyone who has ever bought a rebuilt starter, alternator or water pump at a parts store.

The dealer purchases a repaired wheel from a repuatable wheel repair center and keeps it in stock. The price they pay is comprised of a "core charge" (the value of a damaged but repairable rim) plus a flat repair fee. When they get a car with a damaged rim, they put the repaired rim on the car, and send the damaged wheel back to the wheel repair place. When the wheel repair place gets the damaged wheel, they refund the core charge to the dealer.

There is a great write up about the repair process on VW Vortex. http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publi...icle_326.shtml

According to the article, if a wheel needs refinishing, the turn-around time is 3 to 5 days. That's why I find it hard to believe that your dealer would be able to repair it in-house in less than a day.

 

First off this is my first post in this site

I rashed the front passenger rim, was going to fix it, until a few days later same thing happened , so im not even gonna bother getting it fixed.

guess im not used to having rims that go out further than the tire

 

While I agree with your re-built parts theory - I must admist I'm surprised they would have an IS250/350 wheel in stock - here in Memphis...since I've only seen two other IS's on the road here - but who knows - I'm sure your right.